The Miami Dolphins have a continuing need along their offensive line despite the investments made at to the group in 2020. And it just so happens that the Baltimore Ravens now have a very good young tackle available on the trade market — the news broke yesterday that Orlando Brown Jr. is seeking a trade to a team that will play him at his desired position: left tackle. The Ravens, of course, have Ronnie Stanley locked in on the left side, so when Stanley returns from injury in 2021, Brown Jr. will be transitioned back to the right side of the line.
As Brown Jr. revealed just a few days ago, that’s not something he’s interested in.
“Be better than me” pic.twitter.com/5xHa6XiLZ5
— Orlando Brown Jr. (@ZEUS__78) February 5, 2021
And so the Ravens have conceded to Brown Jr. and his camp that they may seek out a trade to a team willing to play him on the left side of the line. Would the Dolphins potentially be a fit? And if so, what would the cost look like for Miami?
Do the sides fit?
In an ironic twist, the Dolphins may be able to get the best of both worlds with Orlando Brown Jr. If he’s willing to serve as a quarterback’s blindside protector, it just so happens that the Dolphins have the only starting left-handed quarterback in the league with Tua Tagovailoa. So Brown Jr. playing on the right side would appease his desire to be a blindside pass protector for his quarterback but still keep him where his body has the most muscle memory: the right tackle spot.
If that doesn’t appeal to Brown Jr., the left tackle position isn’t exactly settled in Miami either — rookie Austin Jackson had an up and down year.
Ultimately, trading for Brown Jr. and plugging him at right tackle would allow him to serve on the blind side and position the Dolphins to transition Robert Hunt inside at the guard spot. How Miami would choose to handle Solomon Kindley versus Ereck Flowers at left guard would be up to them; although Kindley did perfectly find in replacing Flowers after injury against Cincinnati and he’s exponentially cheaper, too.
Acquiring Brown Jr. and playing him at left tackle would open the door for Austin Jackson to swing to right tackle to continue the domino effect to kick Robert Hunt inside — or alternatively open the door for Miami to explore other ways to maximize their investment with the No. 18 pick in 2020.
Does the math work?
Here’s the good news: Orlando Brown Jr. is still on a rookie contract in 2021 (although trading for him this offseason would likely come with a subsequent extension). He’s due $920k, meaning he will be on the books for any team that acquires him for less than one million dollars against the cap if a team decides to let him play out his 4th-year of his rookie deal.
That would be an ideal maneuver for Miami, given they are facing a bit of a cap crunch in order to address their skill positions and offensive line alike while still upgrading a few key spots on the defense. And also work out some contract extensions for cornerstone pieces. Amid a reduced cap thanks to the coronavirus. There’s a lot to juggle.
The franchise tag in 2022 may be the best maneuver for a Dolphins team to acquire Brown Jr. — it avoids the mess of the salary cap reduction and then hopefully by 2022 the league figures will be back on the rise, allowing Miami the spending power to lock Brown Jr. into a contract.
And the team would likely want to see Brown Jr. play out the year if he’s going to change sides on the line before surrendering a big deal, so that’s another variable that must be accounted for as well. If he’s to play the blind side, perhaps Miami would be more willing to talk business early on — but regardless the Dolphins’ cap status would promote letting Brown Jr. play out his fourth year on his current contract.
So Miami can either upgrade right guard and right tackle but trading for Brown and moving Robert Hunt inside to play next to him or they can upgrade left tackle and create limbo for Austin Jackson for less than $1M in cap space this offseason before transitioning into hammering out an extension, placing the franchise tag on Brown Jr. once the cap is more forgiving or, in a doomsday scenario, letting him walk after one year with the team.
Can the compensation work?
Considering what an “acceptable price” will be for the Baltimore Ravens to trade a young offensive tackle in his prime, the Dolphins would be wise to consider “letting him walk after 2021” as a non-option. It can’t happen. Not when Baltimore is probably going to push for 1st-round value and then some.
The good news for Miami is the team has a plethora of assets at their disposal. Austin Jackson, who was the No. 18 pick in the 2020 draft and would potentially be replaced by Brown Jr. in a hypothetical trade, should not be counted among them. There is no timeline ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft in which Miami could trade Jackson and not lose money against the salary cap — his contract guarantees over the first four-years of his own rookie contract would accelerate and Miami would owe more money than they currently do against the cap to trade him before June 1st.
And if a trade were to take place, Baltimore would likely secure one before the 2021 NFL Draft to get a more timely return on their investment.
Baltimore will want picks. High ones. The Dolphins have them. But conceding a 1st-round pick for an offensive tackle a year after the Dolphins invested two top-40 picks in their current tackles is a tough pill to swallow. It’s also probably too rich to send a top-20 pick for Brown Jr. in a contract year.
So can Miami convince the Ravens to a do a deal centered around the Texans’ 2nd-round pick at 36?
If they can, this is a conversation worth having. Baltimore will, ironically enough, refer to the Laremy Tunsil deal as some level of foundation for a trade. But it is hard to envision any team offering multiple 1st-round picks for Brown Jr.; they’ll need to be willing to accept a lesser rate.
The good news for Miami is that between picks No. 18 and 36 are only a handful of tackle hungry teams in this year’s draft order — and the allure of a rookie tackle on a 4-year deal (and a 5th-year option) versus a one-year rental of Brown Jr. before needing an extension may dissuade teams from offering up premiere picks. Tackle hungry teams between Miami’s picks at 18 and 36?
The Washington Football Team at 19 stands out. So, too, do the Colts at 21. The Jets at 23 have a need at right tackle but Mekhi Becton manning the left side. Jacksonville at 25 has Cam Robinson entering free agency. Pittsburgh has a need but is in the Ravens’ division while also being strapped for cash.
There’s not a lot of competition in that gap. Of course the Jaguars also have pick No. 33 to work with, so that’s a hurdle Miami would need to clear.
Final Verdict
Yes. The Dolphins should call up Orlando Brown Jr. and his representation. But no, the Dolphins shouldn’t act desperate. The pitch to Brown Jr. would be simple:
How would you like to protect your quarterback’s blindside in Miami, where you can stay in a right-handed stance?
If the answer is yes, then Miami should offer up pick No. 36 to Baltimore and see how much warmer the market gets across the rest of the back half of the 2021 1st-round. If someone comes over the top? So be it. Perhaps offer a 4th-round selection to sweeten the pot. But Miami is not in position to cave and offer 18 and they’re unfortunately not in position ahead of the draft to flip Austin Jackson if Brown Jr. is insistent on playing the left side without paying more money in Jackson’s dead cap than they already own him for 2021.
This would be a competitive offer. And, if Brown Jr. is on board with blindside protection of Tagovailoa, it would offer Miami a young, high ceiling right side of their offensive line with ample size and power. Best of all? It would be an upgrade Miami could play out for a season before worrying about locking in the big second contract, allowing them to navigate the lull in the salary cap effectively due to the league’s revenue sharing losses.
Could this work? Yes. Should Miami call? Absolutely. But there’s no need to be desperate, particularly in a deep offensive tackle class if that’s a move the Dolphins are committed to making once again this April.
